[CBS Sports] Howard no lock for Lakers; interested in Rockets

Yeah you're probably right about the Golden State thing.

If Lakers brass knows Dwight is serious about walking, and they think he's mentally weak (as Rudolph said and as many feel is the case with Dwight), then it would make perfect sense for Kupchak/Lakers to work their network of friendly writers (Deveney, ...) to try to put public pressure on Dwight. I agree with Rudolph that such a plan seems well underway.

If you're Dwight, you just need to let it go. Don't let this attempt sway your thinking. If it were me, I'd be more than ticked with Kupchak/Lakers if I thought this was what they were doing.

Dwight needs to just make his own decision. Once he does that, no matter if there are public relations campaigns against him, everything will die down.

 

Haha good call. I'll make it a point not to pay any attention to his posts...

 

Yea, hopefully he sees that winning cures all. As soon as lebron started winning, people let the "decision" go.

Also, if Dwight is smart he will see that even if he signs with the lakers, people still won't like him or love him like they do Kobe. He will always be second until Kobe retires.

 

Ingram is insinuating that we need other teams to help us create the cap space to make a super team and it is wrong.

While it would be ideal to be able to move Robinson for a future pick, the CBA allows us waive a player and stretch their cap hit over double the remainder of their contract plus one year.

Lin, for example, could be waived and his 2 years 16.6 million dollars could be stretched over double the contract length plus 1 year. So his two year deal stretches to five years at 3.3m per year.

That one move clears five million in caps space which would be more than enough to offer Dwight Howard the super max.

 

I hope the Rox get Dwight just to shut the media up.

 

We wouldn't waive Lin though. What moves can we make that would make more sense and achieve the same result?

 

As long as people think Dwight can be "rolled" with public relations campaigns against him, they will keep trying these things. So, it's up to him to show such people he's beyond that, as Rudolph says Howard is after the Orlando situation.

Dwight needs a bit more "I dont care" to him. You have to steer your own ship and be confident in your own decisions. Take someone like Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Everyone was killing him for not making a Pacquiao fight. Now he's on top with a crazy contract from Showtime. And he did it his way, didn't listen to what writers and media types were trying to force on him with Pacquiao or other fights.

No one will care what Dwight decided a year from now. So he just needs to do what is right for him. If I were him and I thought Kupchak/Lakers were running games on me, there is no way I would stay. Just based on principle alone. If they're trying to make you look bad now, then they will do the same thing in the future. Not a situation I would want to be in.

 

This is just the delusion of the Anybody But Jeremy crowd. I wouldn't waste too much energy responding to their "proposals."

 

Morey would get roasted for giving up on Lin so early. Ofcourse I never took it seriously

 

Yeah, Alexander and Morey aren't giving up on Jeremy. That's not going to happen this summer.

Now, that doesn't mean they wouldn't move Jeremy for a demonstrably better player, like a Chris Paul. But Jeremy is not going to be some kind of 'random salary cut' type of situation. To think that takes a particular kind of delusion and avoidance of the facts that brought Jeremy back to the team.

 

Agreed, if we can get someone much better I can see them making the move. Otherwise he will stay, or in the worst case, get moved for cap flexibility in his third year when he is expiring.

 

Okay let's take a look at your post then and determine if it's just trolling or unsupported opinion (because its certainly not factually based comments):

On what basis can you make this assertion? At least back it up with some sort of logic or reasoning. If you don't have that then I assume its pure biased opinion on your part, its true objective is to simply stir up a pointless debate which is why it's trollish.

He worked hard to get to LA? This is based on what information again? I think it's common knowledge his real efforts were to get the Brooklyn not LA. And you know full well that extra year doesn't amount $30 mil after the taxes. Again just putting out misinformation to troll.

This has to be a trolling comment. You're essentially saying nobody in media cares or "gives a damn" about players not in LA or specifically only in Dallas or Houston. How is that not suppose to be offensive to fans in either Texas city? You're looking to pick a fight.

Beyond that comment you're suggesting Howard would rather have negative media attention than no attention at all. Baseless assumption #1: you know what Howard would rather have....and figuring he'd want negative attention is a big assumption. Baseless assumption #2: the media won't give him any attention if he's not in LA. Any facts to support either of these opinions?

If he's fools gold then why do you even care what he does? If you really felt that way you should want him on any other team and wouldn't matter what team. The fact that you are so interested in speculating his motivations, thoughts, etc says that you are very interested in him still and want him still very much on the lakers.

Again I wouldn't mind if you're here to debate the merits of Howard, trade possibilities, but its comments like this post that seem so outlandish and others I've seen you post that seem trollish. If you're here to honestly debate then fine, just try not to post stuff that you know is going to stir up pointless conflict.

 

Bynum, Howard and the deal that left two franchises scratching their arses.

 

I would put Dwight in front of Horford and possibly Noah based on last season... but I do believe last season does not represent, what Howard is capable of doing. He played hurt for a long part of the season, and he played in a system, that didn`t fit him with two ball hawking guards.

Dwight is great on the boards, a great defender, a great PnR finisher and a decent low post player. He is not the one, that wins you the game. In this day and age, you don`t feed your low post player to win it, you usually have a wing penetrate and make something happen. But Dwight can win you the game on defense, grab the decisive rebound, finish with a put back or finish when a guard drives in the paint and draws the defender.

We already have Harden and Lin - both can finish games. We already have Parsons (and perhaps Delfino) who can make you pay when you play off them. What we need is someone special down low. Howard wouldn`t make us the best team in the league. But I think there would be a legit discussion about making us a top 3 team behind OKC and Miami (SA being old, Memphis being a star shy, Clippers being a mess, Denver being a star shy, Pacers being a star shy, NY being a mess... maybe Chicago, if everyone gets healthy...).

So of course we need to go all in here. He is our best option, and we could actually get him without giving up any assets. And it doesn`t have to stop here...

 

How would that shut the media up? Like the guy who pilastered the NFL for Supe LI?

Sit back and enjoy the show because it is meaningless but entertaining.

 

Yeah, probably something along those lines.

You don't go as hard as the Rockets did to get Lin back last summer just to dump him a summer later, particularly after a season in which his knee wasn't up to full strength until March. It makes no sense whatsoever, UNLESS you are moving him to get a more proven commodity.

 

Pretty much. lol

There's a new report out today with Pau Gasol playing the "I have to wait on Dwight" card. If the Lakers are playing a PR game against Dwight, then this story would fit perfectly into such a game.

Poor Pau, the victim of Dwightmare II

What I will give Team Dwight -- and their extended team, like Rudolph -- credit for is that they know how the game is played. If they think the Lakers front office is playing them, then there's a good chance that is the case. Rudolph is a very sharp guy with good instincts.

 

Why do people on this board think Lin is a bad fit if Howard comes?
if anything,
I think if Dwight comes, it benefits Lin's game.

Remember all those passes from Lin that Asik dropped, let alone didn't finish? Yeah, add at least two more assists to Lin per game.

Harden/Dwight PNR is devastating ALSO Lin/Dwight PNR will be devastating.

Dwight demands a double team, gives Lin more space.

And if Lin can shoot 3s at the 40% clip he did for the last 41 games of last season... Ooooo watch out!

Lin fits into the system even better if Dwight Howard comes

 

So Rudolph's credibility is sky high huh? I assume he is close enough to Dwight that he wouldn't say or write anything that wasn't pre approved by Dwight

 

Agreed. His greatest success was when he was running the pick and roll with Tyson chandler, throwing lobs to him constantly. The threat of the lob also opens up the lane for Lin to drive